Sinkholes form during heavy rain in Sunset Beach

SUNSET BEACH, NC (WWAY) — Two large sinkholes formed in Sunset Beach during heavy rain Tuesday, closing down one lane of traffic for hours.

Sunset Beach Police were notified of the sinkholes on Sunset Boulevard near Park Road just after 2 p.m. Brunswick County NCDOT crews finished up the temporary fix just before 7 p.m. opening up all lanes of traffic.

It was a scene that did not seem to phase many people in the area, including the town’s Mayor Robert Forrester.

“You kinda come to expect it, it’s not that unusual,” Forrester said. “These pipes were put in when, over 30 years ago when the land to my right was developed. So they’re old.”

Forrester is just glad it did not happen during the weekend or on a sunny day.

“When it’s raining it’s not so bad,” Forrester said. “But of course in the, particularly in the summer time we go from a population of about 4,000 to 17 to 20,000.”

A Brunswick County Maintenance Engineer for the NCDOT says rain is a factor, but usually with sinkholes this big, there is a probably a problem with the pipes underneath the ground.

“It’s not the ground structure isn’t causing it, it’s old infrastructure,” Forrester said.

This is part of the reason the town council is working with the NCDOT to upgrade Sunset Boulevard with wider roads and sidewalks. In doing so Forrester says he hopes the infrastructure is also updated.

“The road is going to be widened for the bike lanes and it’s going to go over a portion where this is,” Forrester said. “So I would expect, I don’t know what they’re plans are. I would expect there would be some effort to address the issues.”

Forrester says their plan to widen the road and add sidewalks is scheduled to be finished by Memorial Day of next year.

As for the sinkholes, officials say it will probably take a week depending on the weather, to completely repair both.